Immersive technology is revolutionizing workforce training, and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are leading the way. From reducing downtime in manufacturing to enhancing hands-on learning without real-world risks, AR/VR is shaping the future of industrial operations. In this live episode of the Modern Industrialist Podcast, Jason Hehman is joined by Ed LaFoy, Lead Engineer specializing in spatial computing and XR, and Patrick DeMichael, TXI’s Strategy Practice Lead. The conversat...
Apr 04, 2025•51 min
What if you could optimize your manufacturing processes in real time, anticipate failures before they happen, and optimize processes with just a few key data points? That’s the power of digital twin solutions—an evolving technology that’s reshaping industries from smart manufacturing to logistics. Host Jason Hehman, Industry 4.0 Vertical Lead at TXI, is joined by Andrew Horner and Alan Gardner, principal engineers at TXI, for a deep dive into what digital twins iiot solutions really are and how ...
Mar 08, 2025•38 min
What does it take to lead a company at the forefront of innovation in highly regulated industries? Melissa Robbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mindr, joins the Modern Industrialist Podcast to share her approach to balancing cutting-edge technology with a people-first mindset. Mindr, a leader in substance detection and monitoring solutions, is reshaping public safety with products like Intoxalock and Keeper while maintaining a deep commitment to customer care. Melissa reveals how her values-based...
Jan 21, 2025•51 min
When you’re in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, you have a unique perspective on efficiency and improvement processes. There aren’t a lot of iterations where you can implement improvements or amortize suboptimization. Brian Montanari is the President & CEO of HABCO Industries, a leader in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. He joins us on the show today to bring his unique perspective to the conversation. We explore his fascinating case study of how his company identified and solved a cri...
Dec 13, 2024•49 min
If you had a bird’s-eye view of digital transformation projects in manufacturing plants across the world, what would you see? No need to guess: Today, our guest is a man who has that exact view. Tim O’Neal is the Global Operations Director for Operational Excellence and Leveraged Services for Dow Chemical. He oversees digital transformation projects at over 300 plants in 31 different countries. We have a fascinating conversation about how Tim’s team decides where to pilot new initiatives, how th...
Nov 12, 2024•56 min
What’s all the buzz about NVIDIA? And what does it have to do with manufacturing and logistics? In today’s episode, Jason Hehman and Patrick Turley break down everything you need to know. Jason and Patrick explain the technological difference between traditional computer chips (CPUs) and NVIDIA’s GPUs. Then they explain how these NVIDIA GPUs are making GenAI, machine learning, and edge computing possible. Jason and Patrick also get into NVIDIA’s valuation and future, including geopolitical conce...
Oct 11, 2024•35 min
In Patrick Turley’s own words, his “dogs are barking,” but the ache of his feet doesn’t compare to the excitement he felt walking around the International Manufacturing Technology Show for days. Patrick joins the podcast to give us highlights from the event. He tells about trends he saw from 3D printing and additive manufacturing vendors. Then Patrick goes over what he saw in the automation and robotics space. He wraps up by describing what he saw in terms of connected systems and digital twins....
Sep 27, 2024•42 min
Both IoT devices and 3D printing have followed a similar timeline recently: a surge of interest, lots of hype, and now stricter scrutiny. In this episode, Jason Hehman and Matt Reich discuss where these two technologies are trending, both in the consumer world and in the industrial space. Listen in as Jason and Matt break down IoT devices and 3D printing (aka additive manufacturing) in terms of value proposition, maintenance, and ecosystem. Resources: Learn more about the predictive maintenance ...
Sep 20, 2024•40 min
Jason got to take a tour of an Amazon Fulfillment Center and he’s here to share takeaways that every industrial business can benefit from. With co-host Patrick Turley, Jason breaks down Amazon’s use of computer vision, edge computing, and digital twins and what it can teach us about Industry 4.0. They also touch on how technology can improve workforce retention and how it can help managers make better decisions. These two bearded gentlemen’s childlike excitement about the workings of a warehouse...
Aug 12, 2024•43 min
What’s virtual reality’s value for manufacturing today? In this episode we break down everything you need to know about today’s spatial computing (virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, etc.) for manufacturers. We discuss how it could speed up and standardize training. We envision how it could empower more stakeholders, including clients and maintenance teams, to provide input earlier in the design process. We also get into the difference between the spatial computing leaders (Apple,...
Aug 02, 2024•38 min
What lessons can manufacturing professionals learn from Friday’s Crowdstrike catastrophe? We give an overview of what happened and what it can teach the manufacturing community about best practices in the software development process. We also explain what incident response should look like in these situations. This episode is for manufacturing executives who need to have a basic understanding of these threats, how to prevent them, and how to respond to them.
Jul 24, 2024•22 min
HS Inc. is a success story of a family-owned manufacturing company surviving and thriving by future-proofing itself. Today its Director of Business Development, Paul St. Louis, joins the show to tell us about their fifty-year evolution from mold maker to automation integrator. Founded in 1969 close to Detroit Michigan, HS Inc. got its start creating parts for the automotive industry. As the industry changed, HS Inc. changed too. They use their know-how to pivot towards making modular systems tha...
Jul 01, 2024•47 min
The annual Rethink Conference by the Manufacturing Leadership Council is one of the top events in the digital transformation of manufacturing. What’s discussed there is indicative of what’s likely to come for manufacturers of all shapes and sizes. Jason attended the conference and is ready to report his top three takeaways. Patrick is here to help him analyze it all. The first takeaway: Workforce development is a pain point for a lot of companies out there. Second takeaway: There is an appetite ...
Jun 15, 2024•35 min
Deepti Yenireddy has an incredible track record of creating tech products and platforms that change the trajectory of businesses. What’s her secret sauce? She spends 90% of her time with clients. When she’s not with a client, she and her team are in full ‘speed-to-value’ mode– getting iterations to clients to enjoy and give feedback on, within days, not months. Deepti is our guest on the show today and she’s a fountain of insight and knowledge. Currently, Deepti is the Founder of Boon, a connect...
May 24, 2024•45 min
Patrick is finally back from his secret mission, so we’re here to do a group debrief about the past few episodes, tying together themes that we noticed ran throughout. We talk about AI safety, forecasting what will need to be done before enterprises are comfortable putting their data into AI tools and training models. We discuss how technology can play an important role in compliance and tracking chain of custody. And we all agree that the importance of business strategy in making tech decisions...
May 17, 2024•34 min
Transportation is a uniquely physical business– it’s not going to be taken over by AI any time soon. But that doesn’t mean that AI or other tech innovations can’t be genuinely helpful for workers and management. Today, Chris Torrence, Chief Strategy Officer from Optym joins us to talk about how tech automation and optimization should work. We have a great conversation about how tech shouldn’t be an additional burden on operators. And, it’s not a fix for a broken process. The point of tech innova...
May 14, 2024•51 min
In this episode of the Modern Industrialist Podcast, we explore the cutting-edge of last-mile delivery with Mike Koleno, the Chief Technology Officer at Better Trucks. Mike, whose background spans financial services and technology, now leads the charge in revolutionizing logistics with Industry 4.0 innovations. Under his leadership, Better Trucks has become a beacon for technological advancements in the logistics sector, particularly focusing on the complexities of last-mile delivery—a crucial e...
May 03, 2024•50 min
Today we’re diving into the world of cannabis supply chain management with Colton Griffin, CEO of Flourish Software. With a rich history in optimizing supply chains through innovative data analytics, Colton brings to the forefront the intricacies and challenges of navigating the cannabis industry. Flourish Software stands out as a pioneer in offering technological solutions that span the entire cannabis, CBD, and hemp verticals, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and profitability amid a complex r...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr
In this episode of the Modern Industrialist Podcast, we sit down with Ben Sprecher, the Chief Product Officer at Bookend.ai, to explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence in the realm of modern industry. Ben, a seasoned product leader and technology executive whose journey has traversed from Wall Street to leading a business into the arms of Google, brings a wealth of experience in harnessing AI to address some of the most pressing challenges faced by enterprise developers today...
Apr 08, 2024•44 min
In this episode of the Modern Industrialist Podcast, we delve into the crucial support system for startups navigating the transition from prototype to market-ready product. Our guest, Adam Rodrigues of FORGE, a nonprofit with offices across CT and MA, shares his journey and the mission of FORGE to connect innovators with local manufacturing resources. With a rich background in supply chain operations, Adam brings invaluable insights into the challenges startups face and how strategic collaborati...
Mar 22, 2024•41 min
In this episode of the Modern Industrialist podcast, hosts Jason Hehman and Patrick Turley speak to Zach Peña from Empirix Partners to explore the pivotal role of strategic sourcing and procurement in the era of industry 4.0. They delve into the challenges and strategies for building resilient supply chains, particularly in mission-critical infrastructure like data centers. With Zach's extensive background, including his experience in the Marine Corps and at companies like NTT and Microsoft, the...
Feb 21, 2024•39 min
In this episode we're joined by Bo Guilbeault of Starbucks, a leader in IT Asset Management and Retail Infrastructure Technologies. Dive into the heart of Industry 4.0 with us as Bo shares his expertise in managing complex IT assets across Starbucks' global network. Learn about the integration of IT Asset Management with cybersecurity, financial strategies, and sustainability efforts. Bo also discusses the future of asset management, highlighting the impact of technologies like AI and IoT. This ...
Dec 14, 2023•55 min
In this episode we dive into the world of cybersecurity with renowned experts Dr. Michael Powell and Aslam Sherule from The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). They chat with Jason and Turley about the evolving cyber threat landscape in the US, discussing the role of AI, critical changes in cybersecurity paradigms, and pragmatic strategies tailored specifically for the manufacturing and logistics sectors. Part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NCCoE collabor...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min
TXI recently had the opportunity to attend the 'Smart Manufacturing Showcase' presented at MxD, a collaborative event by IMEC Illinois and CESMII in Chicago. It was an insightful gathering, bringing together industry leaders and innovators in the manufacturing space. With the current labor challenges and a skills gap that's projected to result in almost 2 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2030, it's clear that we need to rethink how smart manufacturing technologies are applied. Other topics...
Nov 14, 2023•36 min
Jason and Turley interview the team behind Tangler Wrangler about manufacturing, 3D printing, EVs, and what it's like forming a startup company in grad school. David Lyke, President and Chief Engineer and Lauren Barrera Reny, COO discuss how they met and brought their product for EV owners to market - a one-piece plastic cord wrap designed to make storing and transporting an electric vehicle’s mobile charging cord easy, safe, and convenient.
Nov 01, 2023•40 min
Join hosts Jason and Turley as they unravel the latest breakthroughs in the age of Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence. In this episode, the dynamic duo shares insights from attending Applied Intelligence Live! Austin 2023, a new amalgamation of the IoT World and AI Summit conferences. We explore the main themes of the show, including wireless connectivity, quantum computing, smart cities, and the intriguing concept of digital twins. With notable industry giants like Shell, AT&T, Google...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min
In this episode, Jason is joined by Jeff Yin, VP of Technology at Motorcity Systems. They discuss upgrading 30-year-old transportation software in the trucking industry. Motorcity and TXI partnered to develop the ROLLER app, which improves dispatch-to-driver communications with advanced messaging capabilities and the sharing of scanned documents all in one integrated app. Regular guest Turley returns to the program to take a deep dive into the modern product strategy, where technical challenges ...
Sep 21, 2023•44 min
In episode 2 of the Modern Industrialist, Jason Hehman and co-host Turley delve into predictive maintenance options in the world of Industry 4.0. Tune in as they explore the foundations of predictive maintenance and discover how organizations use IoT sensor data to monitor system components and predict maintenance needs, ultimately saving money and reducing equipment downtime. We'll also cover the importance of diverse data sources and how computer vision can reveal hidden problems.
Sep 19, 2023•27 min
In this episode, Jason and co-host Turley discuss the barriers to wide-scale Industry 4.0 adoption and on-prem versus cloud solutions in the industrial manufacturing space.
Sep 18, 2023•26 min
